Growing Pains
by SecretEve95
Summary: "No," with downcast eyes Joy grinned sheepishly. "Have you?" "No," Indigo paused before hesitantly challenging her further. "But you want to, don't you? That is to say, you've thought about it?" "Ye-," "Who, then?" Indigo quipped. "What?" "Who have you thought about kissing?"


Indigo closed her eyes and her mind wandered, as it often did, to Joy. One memory in particular fought its way to the forefront. She recalled with clarity this tender memory. She kept it carefully stored in the innermost chamber of her heart. Indigo did not often take it out to examine it, fearful that if she poked it, prodded it, touched it too much, that it might break or become fractured. With careful nudges she began to unfurl it.

It all began when Joy had chosen to answer a single question.

"No," with downcast eyes Joy grinned sheepishly. "Have you?"

"No," Indigo paused before hesitantly challenging her further. "But you want to, don't you? That is to say, you've thought about it?"

"Ye-,"

"Who, then?" Indigo quipped.

"What?"

"Who have you thought about kissing?"

Joy shot a nervous glance toward her before she swiftly averted her eyes. Indigo observed as her friend became flustered. Joy's eyebrows furrowed and a rosy blush erupted on her cheeks. The young witch audibly exhaled her anxiety and small laugh escaped her upturned mouth. A minute or two was taken by the hands of time as silence and trepidation reigned supreme. Indigo took a moment to delight and place her hope in what Joy's reluctance to answer revealed to her.

"C-could we-," Indigo's bravery faltered, and she found that she could not finish the question that was tantalising on the tip of her tongue. She looked away hurriedly as she felt colour rise and tinge her cheeks.

"We could," Joy asserted. She spoke softly as she lifted her gaze.

The two girls were reclining on a blanket that covered the cool, damp earth. Tree branches reached and stretched overhead acting as a canopy to shroud their shared sanctum from the world. Indigo and Joy were resting their on their elbows facing each other. Indigo could feel the pumping of her heart in her chest. The heavy beats ached with excitement. Her lungs struggled to keep up the pace and she drew in a sharp breath. Indigo looked deeply into Joy's caring brown eyes. The young witch's gaze fell to her companion's lips.

Their lips tenderly connected. Indigo could feel the warmth that radiated from Joy. Her hand rose to cup her treasured friend's cheek. In turn she felt Joy's hand come to rest on her waist. It was in this moment that an intoxicating feeling ignited and swept through Indigo. This feeling of unprecedented familiarity; a feeling that sparked the realisation that she was right where she needed to be, doing exactly what she was always meant to be doing. She had found her home - it was in Joy.

And just as soon as it began, it was over. The two girls parted gingerly and shy smiles began to tug at the corners of their lips. They were enveloped by an easy silence that held and nurtured them. Indigo and Joy relaxed back down onto their backs on the blanket. The girls stayed close; the lengths of their arms and the tops of their thighs pressing together. Indigo drew in long, languid breaths and listened as the leaves in nearby trees rustled loudly in the breeze. She craned her head to look at her companion. Joy's eyes were closed, her breaths were long and even; she was smiling and still.

They didn't share any more kisses that day. There were no admissions of fond feelings. There were no declarations of love. There was no mention of what they had done. After an age, the energy between them had dispelled into their surroundings. Only then had they had laughed and giggled and set it to one side.

The young witch rose and retrieved her broomstick from its resting place. She took a couple of steps out of the lush greenery towards the clearing. Joy hesitated before resolutely turning back to face Indigo.

"We'll be together soon, Indi," she spoke quietly. "Trust me."

Upon receiving Joy's words time seemed to still as Indigo inhaled. As she exhaled she felt as an unacknowledged weight resting upon her shoulders became less. She silently offered her trust to the young witch standing before her. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Indigo nodded and spoke.

"Where ever you go, I go."

"Where ever you go, I go," Joy affirmed.

Indigo allowed her mind to wander back to the present day. The young sun hung in the early morning sky. She keenly observed the dappled sunlight as it cascaded through the protective canopy of trees she was sitting beneath. Her back was resting firmly against a tree and her hands were folded easily in her lap. Indigo could hear birds as they sang and screeched their salutations to the summer sun. She could see the broomstick she had borrowed from Mildred leaning safely against another tree. She listened to the leaves as they danced in the slight breeze. She was in the midst of trees and overgrown foliage. The world was quiet here. Indigo's green alcove, of which she had once nicknamed her 'den', was nestled covertly in the fringes of the forest that bordered a park. It was her sanctuary. Her and Joy's sanctuary. Or at least it had been. Many years ago.

Indigo was concealed from the outside world in the lush undergrowth. She was aware that the topography of this special place had largely changed over the course of her long absence. Once a peaceful park on the outskirts of town was now a bustling hub that boasted BBQ and picnic areas, walking paths, colourful and meticulously kept gardens, a small café, and elaborate play equipment for the children. The boundaries of the town had crept towards the park, and the park, in turn, had expanded in the direction of the town. Indigo's den was stowed away on the far side of the park that bordered the forest. Over the past thirty years the forest had done its best to devour her den. She now had to cross the unruly scrub to reach it. This saddened Indigo. She had shared this safe space with Joy. And the weight of Joy's absence was made heavier when she observed these changes.

She rose and retrieved her broomstick from its resting place. Indigo slowly took a couple of steps out of the dense greenery towards the clearing. The leaves in nearby trees became rustled by a sudden sharp breeze, and for the briefest of moments she heard as the final words that Joy had spoken here were captured by the wind. The trees breathed: _wherever you go, I go_.It was very clear and startling. Indigo hesitated before deciding to peer back over her shoulder. Alas, she observed no one to be there. She blinked away her confusion and continued her retreat.

There were days when the passage of time fell heavily upon Indigo's heart. These were the days when she had found solace in her newfound friend, Mildred Hubble. She reflected upon this as she journeyed on her broomstick to the Hubble home – her temporary home for the summer. Her friend's flat felt like a real home; her home, almost. Living with Mildred and her mother was everything she had always hoped living with a family would be. The mismatched furniture seemed to match perfectly. There was lively artwork at every turn. Compromise, smiles and peace dictated almost every interaction of the occupants. The small flat was made large by the love that Mildred and her mother shared. Love filled up all the space and occupied every corner. As Indigo noted this she became aware that it had also begun to creep into her own heart.

In response to this train of thought, her mind turned back to Joy. Throughout the day she found herself wondering about Joy's life and all of the people, things and experiences she had filled it with over the past thirty years. Who had been the next person to kiss Joy after she had? Indigo hoped that it had been someone wonderful and clever who would have been able to fill Joy up until she was brimming with all the love she had lost out on earlier in her life. However, these hopes clashed ferociously with what little she knew about the present-day Miss Hardbroom. A wave of sadness washed over Indigo and she chose to hold on to the hope that what she imagined was true. She would like more than anything to know that it was true; that Joy had loved someone, and that someone had loved Joy. Fiercely.

The following day, Indigo mounted Mildred's broomstick and set off for Cackle's. It was curiosity that compelled her onwards. The same curiosity that compelled her to ask Joy that fateful question in the safety of their hidden grove. The same curiosity that accompanied new experiences. The same curiosity that she had found time and time again in Joy's beautiful brown eyes. She wanted to know about Joy's life. She wanted a heartful reunion. She wanted the intimacy back that they used to share. She wanted to receive the tale of anguish and acceptance that Joy must have lived through after she was turned to stone. She wanted to express her pain and have it acknowledged completely and in private.

Indigo darted through the warm summer air. Here and there a breeze would knock her off course and she would wobble, waver and regain her heading. She still hadn't mastered the art of flying. The castle loomed closer and closer in the distance. Indigo arrived at the castle and began her descent only to find herself repelled by an invisible force. She soon discovered that she was unable to enter the school grounds. With no other option, she touched down on her borrowed broomstick at the school gates. They did not open. The young witch huffed in frustration and tried to figure out the best course of action. A moment later, Miss Cackle appeared.

"Indigo," she began politely. "I can't recall the last time a student elected to visit the school during the summer holidays. What can I do for you?"

She let out a breath of relief.

"I was wondering if Joy – uh, Miss Hardbroom - was here, and if I could please talk to her."

"I am sorry to tell you that she is not here," Miss Cackle paused. "The events of recent have taken their toll on the both of you. For this reason she has taken the summer break to foster other relationships in her life. She is visiting a witch by the name of Miss Pentangle who is the headmistress of a school quite a distance away."

"Wh-,"

"Miss Hardbroom," the headmistress continued, "will not return until term resumes. She knew that you would be safe and well staying with Mildred and her mother."

Indigo initially opened her mouth to speak, but found that she could not clamber together an adequate protest or reply. She felt as something akin to fear gripped her insides as she absorbed the knowledge that Joy was not here. Joy was not coming. It crushed and twisted her organs into such a vice that an inner panic seized her. Indigo was both unable and unwilling to share with Miss Cackle the personal motivations that had prompted her visit. Instead, she looked intently away from the penetrative eyes of the headmistress. Her gaze settled upon a stray black cat in the distance. Indigo concentrated all of her remaining efforts on observing the cat's movements as it lazily strode about the school grounds. After a short time it settled on the grass to enjoy the warmth of the morning sun.

"I do hope you find a way to have an enjoyable holiday. I look forward to welcoming you back for the new term," The words of the headmistress seemed to be falling further and further away; they hardly touched her. In parting, Miss Cackle bade her to return to Ms Hubble and Mildred. "I shall mirror Ms Hubble in a short while to ensure that you arrived back safely, Indigo."

Her deteriorated awareness was jolted by her peripheral vision as it apprehended the large figure of the headmistress vanishing into thin air.

She was alone. It was within these moments that Indigo fought fruitlessly against the tides of time that had shifted out of her favour forever. The moment her ties that bound the childhood companions loosened, and she realised that Joy had let go long ago. This was the moment Indigo became untethered. The precious and fleeting reality that she had so fondly shared with Joy had been permanently snapped in two. It was as though the ground upon which she stood had been pulled out from underneath her. Indigo felt the hard wood of the broomstick in her hand. She felt as tears began to sting her eyes and despair crept unexpectedly into the pit of her stomach. Indigo took a deep breath in and felt as something buried deeply within shattered. Fragments of it ricocheted throughout her body. Time stood still as the remnants swirled and boiled and her feet felt rooted to the spot.

A darkened sky loomed threateningly overhead, and the summer heat was trapped underneath the cloudbank. In time, raindrops began to fall intermittently upon Indigo's skin. They were cool and alerting; like tiny pinpricks against her heated skin. A sudden gust licked at her tearstained face and caused the leaves on nearby trees to billow in the wind. It was then that Indigo spoke. She closed her eyes and desperately wished and willed for her solemn plea to be heard. For it to be captured by this wind and carried to meet the promise of Joy she had heard only yesterday.

"Wherever you go, I go."


End file.
